IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is the continuation of the legendary IL-2 Sturmovik series that has set the standard for PC combat flight games for more than ten years. This new entry into the series will offer virtual pilots an even more accurate simulation of the most famous air battles of World War II.

1. Oxygen system added. In case when it’s damaged or when runs out of oxygen, the pilot will suffer more severe overloads on high altitudes;
2. Fixed rudder wobbling when control rods are broken;
3. The stick doesn’t wobble when shooting any more in a plane parked with its engine off and at calm weather;
4. The bounce of the stabilizer that used to bother pilots tuning it for Bf 109 was fixed;
5. Default yaw trimming for Yak-1 was fixed; the plane is now trimmed for combat flight speed;
6. The approach to default roll and yaw trimming changed: it is now working as trimming with rods that should return to combat speed position when released to neutral position;
7. Fixed tabs on Bf 109 and Fw 190 were tuned so that the default stabilizer position is now more convenient;
8. Yak-1 and IL-2 flaps are now influenced by the incoming airflow as the speed increases (at about 250km/h)
9. Landing flaps can now stuck or break off at speeds that exceed the normal speed which these elements are supposed to withstand;
10. Plane is now shaking and can get it’s landing gears broken away when flying at high speed with the gears down;
11. Open bomb hatch should now affect the air drag;
12. Flap control lever on Yak-1 was fixed: it should not be shaking at high engine revs and should not return to neutral position when the flaps are down;
13. He-111 trimming range corrected, it is now possible to trim the plane for horizontal flight at any speed;
14. Excessive jumping behavior of Pe-2 tuned to bet the same like in reference videos;
15. Fixed the issue with engine not starting at all after a failed attempt to start;
16. The bug with transparent elements attaching to ripped off parts of He 111 was fixed;
17. It is now posible to shoot off wheels from the landing gears of Pe-2 and He 111;
18. The lag between hits and visual effects of impact was minimized;
http://coub.com/view/55og019. HE and fragmentation ammo influence on armoured elements fixed: they are now properly protected from low caliber hits;
20. Armour penetration ammo has also been more precisely tuned;
21. Ground crews are now running away correctly from exploding vehicle;
22. An issue with ground vehicles placed near each other not exploding in Multilayer was fixed;
23. Airframe durability has been tuned and increased in most of the cases adding more resistance to direct hits;
24. Fixed abrupt blackouts that pilots of Bf 109 experienced when using flaps while the slats are out;
25. Fixed abrupt blackouts when putting up the gears right after takeoff;
26. A rolling gear wheel aerodynamics fixed. This should decrease the chance of nose over and as a result make landing a bit easier;
27. Excessive snow dust effects created by a falling wheel removed;
28. All radial engines in the game got their durability incresed;
29. An opportunity to extinguish fire in the fuel tanks on flight. To do that increase speed and sideslip;
30. Gun spread was recalculated. German fixed weaponry got horizontal spread decreased by 50%;
31. MG/FF cannons on Fw 190 A-3 and He 11 H-6 got their horizontal spread decreased according to the reference;
32. Horizontal spread of turret guns in case of overheat has been increased;
33. Several Campaign and Dserver crashes have been fixed;
34. Engine and wind sounds shouldn't clip and disappear when played simultaneously with numerous bullet and shell impacts;
35. AI bombers should now correctly drop the bombs after the Do Like Me command;
36. AI will not bail out instantly but with a random delay;
37. Significantly improved the situation with hit sounds in Multiplayer;
38. AI stay in formation when an enemy fighter is spotted;
39. Invisible tracers fixed in Multiplayer;
40. AI dive bombers Ju 87 and Pe-2 will do vertical dive bombing only if the need to spend not more than 2 minutes to gain the necessary altitude; next dives the do will be flat ones;
41. AI should now return to the home base if damaged or leaking fuel;
42. AI that go to home base because of low ammo or minor damage should now be going on max speed;
43. AI that was damaged, or has low fuel or zero ammo will now perform evasive maneuvers on its way to the home base;
44. Light BT-7M tank added;
45. La-5 canopy framing was slightly corrected;
46. In Campaign and Quick mission, a transport convoy will move off the road and spread if attacked from the air;
47. Full player list on the server added;
48. It is now possible to vote to kickban a player (for 24 hours by default);
49. AI controlled Ju 87 are now using flaps correctly on takeoff;
50. Excessive wobbling on roll axis that appeared during dive maneuvers on Ju 87 was removed;
51. AI planes will start engines again if they fail to do that at first attempt;
52. It is now possible to mark players on the server; marked players have purple icons;
53. Ground target markers are now shown on all the objects, not their group leaders only;
54. Distance is now shown on markers of ground targets (3km and less for group leaders and 1km for each object);
55. Full mission editor added <game_folder>\bin\editor\STEditor.exe;
56. Dedicated server added <game_folder>\bin\game\DServer.exe;
57. Remote control console for the dedicated server added <game_folder>\bin\console\;
58. It is now possible to set a pool of missions to put the to rotation on a ranked server. To add a mission to the pool you need to contact us;
59. Two multiplayer missions created by DED team added to this version to begin testing of the ranked servers system;
60. HUD is now turning red when the plane is near stall, or suffering from flatter;
61. The issue with bomb fuses turning off before landing was fixed;
62. Ranked server are now marked with red badges in the server list;
63. AAA should now cover transport convoys in Quick Mission;
64. Snowy ground textures improved;
65. When the bomb hatch is open the wind noise can be heard.

And of course dedicated server is one of the key parts of the update. Everyone can now run their own multiplayer mission. Note that at this stage we’re offering you a Beta version of the server software which implies some simple rules of its use.

To start a server you need to be authorized on the Master serve with a game account. And since it is not possible to play and host with the same account simultaneously, you might need an extra account. But of course you don’t have to buy a new key for this purpose - you can use one of our specially prepared Dserver accounts. To get login and password to such account you need to submit a request at our Customer service helpdesk.

Attention!

To get your ticket processed please follow the following template precisely:

put this as the ticket title: DSERVER pleaseenter the text of the ticket as follows:

Hello!

Please, provide me with a special account that I would like to use to host a dedicated server. I know that such account would not let me play the game and that it doesn’t have planes on it, and I acknowledge that such account is the property of 1C Game Studios.

send this request and wait for response;

receive the account credentials and put them into the .SDS server configuration file.

And attention once more!

Giving out the extra dserver account takes time, so I’m afraid some of you may have to wait until tomorrow, because our customer service guy needs to sleep sometimes too.

13 лютого

Last Friday we brought to most of you some good news - allowing owners of the Premium Edition to bypass the unlockable modifications instantly. To help those that might also want this option, but don’t own the Premium Edition, we are launching a sale for Standard Edition owners that will last from February 13th till February 20th and will give everyone an opportunity to purchase Premium aircraft (La-5 and Fw 190 A-3) at a 50% discount. The sale prices will be available on both our site and the Steam page. Make yourselves a bit happier with these new planes and new opportunities, and don’t be shy to buy them as a present on St.Valentines Day!

Meanwhile, we keep rolling with big news about IL-2 Sturmovik’s future. Starting with the fact that the series is actually going to have a future. Last December, for instance, nobody including us was certain about what would happen next. But good fortune has blessed our hard work and we now know what we will do next.

We are proud to announce that the 1CGS team has started to work on the next title in the the series - IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Moscow. The next stage of this project is set to begin this March - that’s when we’ll be ready to reveal the details and tell you more about the new game’s compatibility with BOS, Early Access Plans and other important details. And now we present you the list of planes that Battle of Moscow is going to feature:

Later, in March 2015 we’ll start the pre-order program for BOM and will publish all necessary info about the future editions. We do understand that you have endless questions, and we’ll answer them in up-coming developer blogs which are going to be posted during Pre-Order and Early Access stages.

Note that Version 1.009 for BOS is coming really soon, bringing you over 40 additions and fixes. This update is going to be deployed in the end of February. And of course we’re already working on the Summer and Fall Stalingrad maps which are going to distributed freely among all BOS players in Q3 2015. And work on the Dserver and Mission Editor continues.

This is just some of what we’re preparing. We don’t want to spill all the beans today. This Spring is going to be quite promising for all combat flight sim fans.

Рецензії

“While IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is still approachable to folks who have yet to unbox their first flightstick, it should have plenty to offer for veterans of air combat”
IGN

“One thing’s for sure, any aircraft that does find its way into this sim is going to be rivet-perfect visually and bally persuasive in the flight modelling department”
PCGamer

“Although IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is simple enough to play, it also features a lot of depth and technical detail. This is much more a deep simulation than the free-to-play flight games that are very popular right now”
Polygon

Видання «Digital Deluxe»

Digital Deluxe Edition includes the game itself and both unique premium DLC planes:
and

Про цю гру

IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad is the continuation of the legendary IL-2 Sturmovik series that has set the standard for PC combat flight games for more than ten years. This new entry into the series will offer virtual pilots an even more accurate simulation of the most famous air battles of World War II. Better quality of content, bigger scale , new physics, more realistic aerodynamics and new game elements set this title apart from all which came before. We have only one goal - To give you a New Higher Level of Immersion!

Key Features:

PLAY:

Robust Single-Player Campaign that features a challenging and innovative AI system. Includes an extensive in-game achievement system that allows players to unlock historically based airplane modifications and upgrades as your campaign progresses.

Realistic graphics and unique visual effects: clouds, lightning, tracers, explosions and huge smoke plumes - all of them fully realized to recreate the aerial combat scenerey of war time Stalingrad.

Flexible Quick Mission mode that allows you to create your own custom combat scenario in just a couple of minutes.

Classic Multiplayer gameplay with dedicated player controlled servers with your favourite settings for team battles and dogfight duels.

Become an ace fighter pilot or try your hand at flying attack planes and bombers where you can destroy tanks, trucks, AAA batteries, artillery units and even armoured trains.

Unique and detailed damage model shows how deadly the weapons can be and will challenge even the best pilots.

For those that won’t make it back to base, each plane comes equipped with a handy parachute!

LEARN:

Action takes place on a 358 х 230 km map - The largest and most detailed recreation of the Battle of Stalingrad theatre ever modeled in a flight simulation with unique structures, buildings and landscapes.

Single-Player Campaign scenario follows the real chronology of the battle starting with Operation Uranus on November 19th, 1942 and continues to the complete liberation of the city on February 2nd, 1943.

Ten Legendary aircraft of the era have been thoroughly re-created using original drawings and blueprints from the Central archive of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Precise simulation of the flight model allows everyone to learn the special character and limits of each and every plane in the game. Use each of their special abilities and performance characteristics to complete your mission and survive the brutal fight.

Even though 1C GS claims BoS to be "The next generation of the legendary IL-2 Sturmovik series", the game has very little to offer for its hefty 50€ price tag.

In every aspect that the game seems to have something good going for it, the flaws set it back atleast two steps and severely hamper an enjoyable experience.

The focus on a single, major event of the war had promise for an immersive, story-driven campaign, but instead, the game is broken into five chapters of the same copy-pasted, "random" generated quick missions, of which there are five to choose from (Intercept, Escort, Ground Attack, Ground Support and Bombing).These chapters all include a short intro cinematic, giving you a brief history lesson by recapping the most crucial moments of any operation or such at the time, but these are rather easily forgotten because everything is thrown at you in the 30 or so seconds these clips last.But in the end, you'll just be flying the same missions, over and over again, while the tactical map looks a bit different each chapter.

Even worse is that since the campaign has nothing to offer on top of what the other gamemodes already don't (Quick mission builder and pre-made missions, no difference to the campaign), in a desperate attempt to draw you in or give you some sense of accomplishment, they opted for unlocks.Yes, you actually have to grind the same scenarios over and over again in order to use some of the available weapons or mods, some of which were even the standard factory setup for the planes. Not very... simulationy.. is it?This is excellent way of 1C telling you that they did not have anything to offer for a proper campaign, and instead force you to take the free-to-play design of slow grind for small progress.

With that said, the campaign atleast works in its own way and AI behavior is not outright ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, although your flight will often take the route of attacking a bomber directly from behind, and you'll most likely be dive-racing PE-2's at +600km/h in order to even have a chance to shoot them down.Other gamemodes are similar to the campaign, though quick mission builder allows for more customization. Do note that you cannot "grind your unlocks" in any mode except campaign.

Plane selection is pretty much what you'd expect from such a title, Luftwaffe sports the ever-iconic Bf 109's, models F-4 and G-2, the Ju-87 "Stuka" divebomber, He-111 medium bomber. Soviet airforce has the less enticing selection consisting of the LaGG-3 and Yak-1 fighters, iconic IL-2 Sturmovik ground attacker and Pe-2 light bomber.Both sides also have a special DLC fighter plane available, Fw 190 A-3 for the Luftwaffe and La-5 series 8 for the Soviets. And no, the premium DLC planes do not come fully unlocked, you still have to "grind the unlocks".

Each plane has it's unique characteristics; the 109's are fast and easy to handle, with cockpit layouts simple enough to learn fast, while the LaGG-3 is a tumbling mess, most dedicated into driving you to the ground while you try to make sense of the gauges, with the Yak staying far more competetive with the superior German fighters.The Stuka and Sturmovik attack planes are both slow and steady, with very different methods of attack. The Stuka will mostly dive from above with its nose pointed almost directly down to bomb accurately, only airbrakes to slow the descent, while the IL-2 will attack almost level with rockets, bombs and big cannons for widespread destruction.The bombers fly level, and bomb, when they're not just for target practice. Really, what else is there to say?

Commenting on flight or damage models is the hardest thing, but while the planes fly and get shot down like planes do (I guess), one can definitely say a lot of the arcade-like simplicity the mechanics and maintaining have.All of the planes do their start-up routine with a push of a single button, with crucial actions remaining automated, or optionally, under manual control in a very simple way. This takes away a lot from the potential immersion, with "detailed aircraft systems modeling" being mostly text on the screen and few animations.

Multiplayer works well, with no larger bugs around, although the lack of servers and even the amount of max players per server is disappointing.

While the gameplay is definitely lacking, is there anything the AV department can salvage?

BoS does have decent lighting to complement the snow-covered potato fields and the clouds aren't low-resolution mush, gun and engine sounds are enjoyably powerful with models representing accurately their real-life counterparts.But besides that, what can a game of such limited sensual experience give?

Sadly, this is again where the game falls short. Planes otherwise being well-detailed, their textures are low resolution, with blurry and blocky normal maps reflecting the sun off your wing in a gringeworthy glare, and jagged, low resolution shadow maps looking like they're about to cut your cockpit into half as they pass.Sounds are incredibly bugged as well, with sound latency up to the level of you hearing your gunfire hits on the enemy plane, and it being impossible to hear your plane being hit.Despite the seemingly low amount of graphical detail at any given time, the game has issues with low framerates, suttering and overall poor performance even on a modern, mid-end PC (i5-4690k, R9 270).

This is most likely due to the ancient DirectX 9 renderer the game uses, and very limited graphical customization, being limited to resolution, four presets of Low, Balanced, High and Ultra, with an added MSAA option.Not even the v-sync is properly implemented with triple-buffering, so you'll most likely have to choose between massive tearing, or being locked to 30FPS on the slightest framedrop.

After all this, who is this game really for?With its simplified systems and gameplay, I wouldn't recommend it for people looking for the most authentic simulation experience, it offers too little for the price.But the same thing is true for the more casual player or enthusiast, it offers too little for the price and there are games out there that do most of what BoS offers, better and for less.

I can't help but feel this game was released crippled and is simply trying to ride the IL-2 name to simply break even. There's potential to this, but as it is currently, I can't recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 5/10 at the time this is written. Mostly for the working multiplayer, although many of the issues creep into there as well.

Written in December 2014, the game is in contant development and I expect it to be geting only better.

I wanted to start by saying it's unpolished gem, but it's not. It's a highly polished gem, fitted into cheap mass produced jevelry and wrapped in gift bag bough on discount last January. If you want realistic flying experience, don't miss it. If you want to treat yourself seriously as a simmer, you may find out-of-cockpit parts of game not dignified enough.

The good: The sim part (simulating planes and their enviroment) is very good - the game is great stick and rudder experience, the planes have mass and inertia, when flying them on the edge of flight envelope you feel them sliding from course, rather than being pushed to the side along set vector with randomized shaking added. The AI planes use the same physics as player, so they don't take breaks from reality and pretend they are jets when pressed to hard. Par the course, some people find flight models unrealistic or simply not what they expected. There are no clickable cockpits like in CloD or DCS, but after automated engine start you get to control most of plane systems (IMHO the biggest missing part is no manual fuel tank selection). To me it has the best feeling of "being there" of all WW2 planes, but I'm stick and rudder fetishist, not clickable cockpit fetishist. There are no stability problems, unfinished plane systems of weird flight behaviour.

The bad: There are ten flyable plane types in the game. More are in the works, but because of sim part being detailed like I said above, making new planes is slow process. Do not expect to see tens of flyables soon, or variants of the same model (like all Bf-109F variants) made by small modifications of existing plane. There are *no* AI-only planes (one is on the way) because, as they use realistic flight physics, they are not easy to make, either. You won't see tens upon tens of computer-controled planes in misisons, either, they are to CPU-hungry for that. The number of players in MP missions is limited (either to 32 or 48, not sure) , devs still work on optimising support of more players in mission as I write. The single player part, or campaign, is something in between proper career from IL-2:1946 and mission generator - you pick stage of the battle, airfield you take off from, plane, mission type (intercept, escort, ground attack, bombing, close air support) and off you go. Missions are generated randomly with variety of weathers and targets, but they aren't as immersive as real career missions - maybe because you get no background on what your target is and why it's important beyond "go and bomb that bridge". There are difficulty settings in game, but in campaign you can use only two presets, normal (icons and automated engine management) and expert (realistic). Instead of adjusting realism settings before mission, you disable unrealistic aids in flight by key command (say, I bound a key that turns all engine helpers off and hit it at start of each mission, to fly with manual engine management but icons on). The mission editor hasn't been released to public yet and is quite complicated so there isn't much of user-made content and multiplayer servers - but what community made so far was of very good quality.

The ugly: The most hated part, which caused many people to give up the game as arcade: the plane modifications (bombs for fighters, bigger cannons, armoured windscreens etc) are unlockable - you get them by flying the plane in question in single player campaign. Most of these mods are non-standard, experimantal, or one-off modifications, but few are standard-issue systems that you can't accss from the start. Also, the campaign includes game elements like experience and player "level" (the higher it is, the more dangerous becomes opposition and flak fire in campaign. I suppose it is meant to make game easy for new sim players and progress as they succeed and learn). Then, you can start the mission in the air, half way towards the target, and abort it on reaxching "exit" waypoint - takeoff and landing are optional - and on lower player levels thare is little action outside target area. So the first impression is that missions consist of going to action point, doing your job, going back. It's not the case, but you have to bother playing through simpler missions to make things more interesting. These are pointless additions to otherwise purebreed sim, and many people can't get past it - some play multiplayer only and don't want to play campaign at all, some call it pointless grinding, some are so experienced they want difficult missions from the start and give campign up as to easy before they rise their pilot level and get to difficult stuff. Make no mistake, once you sit in the cockpit you get a proper sim experience, and once you get your unlocks and rise level to get interesting missions you just have a good mission generator to play with forever, no limits - but the awards that are supposed to motivate players to play are something out of console game.

There are smaller bad decisions, like locking most of graphics options to four preset settings - you don't get to set manually drawing distance for objects or super sampling, you choose high, low, medium, ultra setting and that's it. You have manual control of resolution and antialiasing, though. It made some sense in development, but is pointless now.

All these are pointless design decisions that nobody i know likes, but the developers stay by them. This stubborness earned them lot of enemity and made many people abandon the game, but I have to say dev team is very cooperative with community in most other respects, adding elements requested by players and listening to suggestions of flight model changes. There was some rush to release the game on deadline, so maybe they will replace it with something better once team catches they breath. Or not.

Battle of Stalingrad Falls Way Short of the Mark!Firstly it should be renamed The 'Winter' Battle of Stalingrad because the winter map is all you get - no summer or autumn maps. And perhaps even the word 'battle' is inapropriate given that instead of the massive Stalingrad campaign involving vast numbers of planes, tanks, infantry and equipment you are presented with a bleak landscape where very little action takes place. You would hardly know there is a war going on let alone one of the most bitterly fought campaigns in history. And on top of that, there are so few available planes to fly. I don't expect a sim to be 100 % historically accurate, but really, a Stalingrad air battle simulation without JU52s? I can just about live with the fact there are no ME 110s (just about) but no JU52s? The whole point of the final phase of the Stalingrad air battle (and I repeat that is all you get) was providing the trapped German army with vital supplies from the air. In this important part of the battle JU52s were key. To a lesser extent the HE111 also contributed to the air-drops (and you do at least get this plane in the under-crowded hangar) but the JU52 was the principal work-horse. Making a Stalingrad sim without it is a huge oversight. In addition the different phases of the so called 'Campaign' are simply repetitions of the same meagre selection of missions given another title. Nothing more than scripted, non-dynamic quick missions with little or no variation. Last, but by no means least, you have to pay extra for two planes you should have received with the main product in the first place. After spending 50 euros on an incomplete sim it is a slap in the face to the customer to have to dish out another 18 euros for one additional aircraft. And by the way, DON'T. These aircraft are not in the same league as DCS World aircraft. For example, the flight characteristics of the FW 190 are almost laughable. Generally considered to be one of the most nimble, agile fighter of WWII, this simulated version snatches into a spin at the least provocation. It spins when you bank steeply and even during a simple barrell roll! Loops and Immelmans are performed reluctantly and the controls lock when you go into in a steep dive. The worst 190 flight model I have come across to date - a complete waste of money. (By the way, my HOTAS joystick equipment is top-notch.)In general this over-priced sim is a missed opportunity. Instead of the high quality sim that flight enthusiasts were hoping for it is simply an upgraded IL2 1946, but without the variety, and with far fewer planes and far less playability. The graphics are ok, but they fall way short of Cliffs of Dover (which is better than BOS in every respect) and, inexplicably, there are no clickable cockpits! As for the unlocks, it is ridiculous that you are forced to grind your way through hours of mind-numbing, repetitous campaign missions just to unlock features you have already paid for. These locked features include gun-pods, rockets and even bombs! Incredibly, you have to do this for every single aircraft type! I suggest you wait and see before you buy. If the developers invest time and effort into completing this product and fixing the many problems it could potentially be an interesting simulation, and worth the price. But for the moment, don't buy it.

UPDATEI tried to like BOS. Being a flight sim fan I flew hours of tedious missions (starting way back in pre-order days) hoping the devs would fix some of the many things that needed fixing. But very little has been done and enough is enough - I have deleted the game from my PC. I may try again in a while to see if things have improved. But somehow I doubt things will have changed much. For now I have the feeling I've thrown my money away on a rip-off. Back to Cliffs of Dover for a top flight-sim experience.

Update 2So finally, after much pressure from the community (what's left of it) they have unlocked the absurd locked up features, But ONLY if you buy the two extra planes (another 35 euros down the drain). So FIRST they lock almost every necessary piece of equipment (including bombs for bombers would you believe) then they make you BUY the unlock! Don't support these greedy money-grabbers. They are ripping you off and making it look like they're doing you a favour!

Cons:- Grindfest to unlock anything at all. Every single item in the game requires something be done to unlock it.- The dynamic campaign system for SP has very little variety- Already having DLC plane packs for a sim game before it was even released. (IMO no early access game should ever have any DLC available for it before official release. And if you are a dev planning on it still, at least keep it under wraps until the official release date)- Low number of planes to pick from although this is understandable since the devs spend way more time on the flight physics models of each plane to make it perfectly accurate. (This makes adding more planes in time consuming and cost more)- This: http://i.imgur.com/BfMs7kQ.jpg

And the big one for me:

- No proper oculus rift support despite the promise: "We’re now sure that Battle of Stalingrad will be released with complete compatibility with Oculus RIft VR". I bought this game because of that promise. Now I find out on their russian forum (via google translate) that for the moment they are abandoning dk2 development (not a single announcment of this in English) and are blaming Oculus for the problems they are having, claiming "Oculus forgot about them" What does that even mean? How did DCS, WarThunder, DCOC, Outerra, Elite Dangerous, Lunar Flight, etc figure it out?

-----------------------------------------------------Summary: Grindfest with empty promises of OR support.Don't buy it.

Why is it getting such bad reviews ?Well, to be frank, the devs didn't really listen to the community back in the Early Access state, and introduced a ''UNLOCK'' system, wich is very very VERY bad for a SIMULATION game...

It's a great game otherwise, nice graphics, the plane models are great, nice details...MP is nice as well, and it's gonna be even better with the release of the SKIN VIEWER and the ADVANCED MISSION BUILDER.

while the game is ok, i wouldn't recommend this for anyone because you only get the planes, but you have to unlock everything from the skins to bombs and guns which to me is a real deal braker. i expect to get the full game from the beginning when i pay the full price to play it. also you will have to pay additional money to get all planes. not the way to go

Only played for a few hours but i'm really enjoying this. There are only a few minor things that I kind of dislike, but for the most part it's a very well created sim and looks pretty damn good.

They could do away with the unlocks but hey its not a sim killergraphics are pretty amazingthe missions are a bit bland and the friendly ai planes just get in my way (think they are more hungry for the kill than I am) - although i have not looked at how to give them orders yet so probably my own faultflight dynamics are pretty gooddamage models are awesome

The best combat flight sim since IL-2:1946. Buy a joystick, learn to fly, be amazed. Seriously, just go do your first bombing at night-time. Go fight competitively in multiplayer. Hop into a gunner position on a bomber. Adjust your prop pitch, A/F mixture, Radiator/Oil grilles, flaps, bombsight, etc or just play normal and have the computer optimize it for you as your focus on dogfights and bombing.

I've been playing flight simulators since the early 80's, and actually that's the reason I got into computers to begin with. I remember a time when a person could walk into a computer game store (yes, it only sold computer games, not console games), and that's all you would see on the shelves.... Flight Simulators!

It's sad that now you don't see Flight Sims that much, so I'm very pleased to see that 1C/777 are doing what they can to keep the genre alive. I played the hell out of the original IL2 games, and still do actually. I was so excited when I heard that they were coming out with a new IL2. And I'm just blown away!

The graphics are top knotch! The realism, again top knotch! The fact that I can't lean my head out the window (using TrackIR head tracking) until I open the canopy is freaking cool! The way the cockpit rattles when you fire up the engine, and the damage models when objects are hit by bullets is unbelievable!

Now there are a few things that I've seen that people are complaining about, such as the inability to use multiple monitors, and the way you have to gain EXP to unlock paint schemes and new guns and so on. But if you ask me, that's all really minor stuff. I use one monitor, and with the head tracking using TrackIR I don't see the need for multiple monitors. And I sort of like the EXP system that it has, gives me something to work for, other than just getting through missions.

I was a little dissapointed in the number of planes you are able to fly, the original IL2 games had freaking tons of planes! I'm hoping that 1C/777 release new planes, and if this game is as big of a hit as I think it will be, I'm sure they will. Unfortunatly I'm also sure that each new plane will be through purchasing (looks like they will be priced at around $20 by looking at the two extra planes they have available now). But personally I don't mind, the company has to make money, and in this day and age, where the younger generation just wants FPS games, paying $20 for a new high quality plane is nothing. I've spent way more than that on my other flight simulator addons.

So would I recommend this game? HELL YEA!

Even if you have never flown a flight simulator before, this is a good way to get started!

Bought Rise Of Fliht for about a year ago. Same developer as IL-2. After a short while i bought the Logitech 3d Pro (good and not to expensive flystick) and i had some fun hours with it.. I really like rof but wanted a ww2 game more.. Some days ago i found this game and right from the beginning i loved it. Sure you have to unluck things but that dosnt matter. Only makes it more fun, cause you have something to look forward to. I really like the rank you gain. Graphis is very nice. The skyes looks awesome. The ground is not the best but they just used more resurces for the planes ,sky etc.. So if you want a action packed game yet a game where you can still chill and fly around the same time, this is it! It takes some time to get good at shooting, but if you stick to it and practise, you will be rewarded! See you in the sky..

I have been a fan of IL-2 Sturmovik for a really long time. I started with pacific fighters, and then bought 1946, and I loved it. In 2013 I bought cliffs of dover, even after seeing all it's problems. I actually enjoyed it, and it ran fine for me. Now I bought battle of stalingrad, and I have to say I am really impressed. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and it is very realistic too. I love the damage models and the physics too, it is amazing. The way the wings and tail bend and break looks fantastic, and the cross winds when landing the plane is also great. I love the fire effects and the smoke trails it leaves behind, it looks great. The planes handle very realistic too, and the bail-outs looks and feels very great and smooth. There are 2 difficulty levels to choose from. Normal and Expert. Normal is for the more casual players, while expert is for hard core simulator fans. You can set a custom difficulty for quick missions, but not for the campaign. The campaign is great too, but it is actually made of randomly generated missions. You can choose what kind of mission you want to do, and what airfield you want to start from, and then pick a plane and weapons and then you choose a difficulty, and click on start, then the game will generate a mission for you. Each mission is unique, because each mission is randomly generated. The enemies spawn at different places every time, and the battlefields feel alive, because there's battles all around the place. When flying to your destination, you may notice ground battles happening below you, or other planes fighting each other in the distance, and all sorts of stuff like that. All those battles happening around you are also randomly generated, and you can even join in and help the friendlies out if you want to. You can play as either the Germans or the Russians, and they each have 4 planes to choose from, making it a total of 8 flyable planes. If you get the more expensive version of the game, you get 2 extra dlc planes. I bought the regular $60 version though, so I can't review those 2 dlc planes at the moment. The game has a decent amount of content. There is a quick mission option where you can quickly make a small mission for you to play if you want some instant action, there is a campaign mode if you want to play through 5 chapters of the battle of stalingrad, there is a mission mode where there is a list of missions to choose from if you just want to play a mission without picking options and stuff, and then there's the multiplayer mode where you can battle other players online, which is also fun. The cockpit is not clickable like cliffs of dover, but instead you need to map keys in the controls menu to use the switches and buttons and stuff. Also, I recommend you play this game with either a controller or a flight stick, because it is way too hard to fly with the keyboard. I use an xbox controller, and I am having a great time. If you enjoy flight simulators, or if you like war thunder, you should play this. It is much more realistic than war thunder though, but it is very accessible, and it has a tutorial, so most people should be fine. If you are new to flight sims, play in Normal mode, but if you are a hard core flight sim fan, play in expert mode. I totally recommend this game, even at full price it is worth it. 10/10

I have just recently gotten in to the flight sim games, and i really enjoy them. This is the first real flight sim I have actually played properly. So i am biased so you might not want to trust my opionon but well I am going to give it anyway. I think this game is apsoulutly amazing in every way ( not every way, exageration). One of my favorite things about the game is the flight model's are amazing the planes feel almost real. I love it. It is actually enjoyable to just fly the aircraft. The damage of your weapons feels like you are actually shooting real cannons and guns they feel so powerfull i love it. Also the collisions are nice sould use improvement i thing thought. the game run smoothlly and looks great. the game sounds pretty good too i like the engine sounds when inside of the cockpit or leaning out the window.One big thing about the game for me is the multiplayer. It's my favorite part. I love it, but there is quite a big problem with it. There is never enought players so my advice to you is buy the game we need more players .

IL2:BOS is a game made for me. I'm new-ish to flight sims, have a joystick, TrackIR (actually a custom FreeTrack rig), and I prefer the frantic, tactical combat of dogfights to other aspects of flight simulators like systems management and realistic navigation. For me, Battle of Stalingrad gets it just right.

The game presents two preset difficulty options, Normal and Expert, and options for customization. In neither of the presets are flight mechanics or damage models compromised for ease. The fidelity of the flight simulation is top notch (maybe shy of some DCS modules, but it's hard for me to say - I certainly don't have any personal experience with WWII airplanes), and the feeling of immersion that this creates is wonderful. Dogfights are intense and breathtaking!

The game has received some flak from some of the more die-hard flight sim fans (who disparagingly compare the game to War Thunder). They complain (perhaps rightly) that the ease-of-use features kill the simulation, even on Expert difficulty. I share none of these concerns. To me, a beginner, the game focuses on exactly what I like about combat flight simulations: combat flight!

I like that I can choose between short (no takeoffs or landings) and long missions. I appreciate being able to turn icons on and off. I like that I can elect to use complex engine management, or leave that to the AI if I just want to focus on dogfighting. I like auto-level, time compression... all the options that allow a relative beginner like me to play the game as casually or as hardcore as I want to.

I had hoped we'd see an imprevement in the single player by the game's release. Now that it's out, I'm a bit dissapointed by the fairly bland campaign. Oh well. I'll hope for a fix, and in the meantime will play more multiplayer. Regardless, the game is quickly becoming one of my favorite flight sims of all time, up there with Rise of Flight (by the same studio), and IL-2 1946.

This is what IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover should have been. Bringing in the RoF and IL-2 teams under one roof was a genius move and it's really paid off. The flight mechanics are spot on and it doesn't just feel like WW2 planes with the RoF engine. This feels like it was built from the ground up to be a realistic (but fun) WW2 flight simulator. The UI is terrific, I've played many sims flight or otherwise and this game by far has the cleanest, friendliest UI of any. I hope new comers to the flight sim world start here because not only is it a great sim it's extremely easy to jump right into. The addition of short missions (optional takeoff/landing) will really help ease new players into the fun and the campaign seems well adapted.

This game has the potential to be a worthy sucessor to Il-2 1946, unlike Cliffs of Dover or DCS, in my opinion. Yes, Battle of Stalingrad is incomplete (e.g., no mission editor or documentation) and the offline, single player campaign unlock system was a poor (and last second?) decision by the designers. However, the graphics are superb and the flight models are good enough. The flight and combat experience are absolutely wonderful and immersive.

Hopefully, the game will only get better if enough people buy into it and development continues which is a big question mark, unforutnately. Most of the criticism leveled at the game are by long time flight-simmers that have pretty unrealistic expectations and demands. The price for this game is very steep but it is currently the only World War II simulation under active devopment. I doubt we'll see something comparable from DCS within the next couple of years too given their track record for not being able to produce a new map and problems with large multi-player battles.

I used to play the original IL2 Sturmovik game and currently play Rise of Flight and War Thunder and this game is just fantastic. It has a more realistic feel and absolutly beautiful graphics. Its easy enough to learn the basics of this game although I would recommend getting a joystick to play this game, prefferably one with rudder control.